"Do not allow others to say it didn't work," Hayden said. "It worked."
Hayden said the situation in Iraq has improved so much that the war there is no longer a major drain of agency resources or attention. Instead, he said, the most pressing national security threat remains Al Qaeda.
Because of missile strikes by CIA drones, the tribal belt of Pakistan "is neither safe nor a haven" for Al Qaeda leadership, Hayden said. But he cited the failure to capture or kill Osama bin Laden as among the chief disappointments of his tenure.
Iran's leaders are "getting close to a decision point" on the country's nuclear program, Hayden said, because the Shiite Muslim nation is paying such a heavy diplomatic and financial cost for its efforts to stockpile enriched uranium. That cost burden has grown with falling oil prices, Hayden said.
The outgoing CIA chief also sounded a new alarm about the growing drug violence in Mexico, and indicated that U.S. intelligence officials have made new efforts to form counter-narcotics partnerships with the Mexican government.
Overall, Hayden said, Panetta will inherit an agency that has made strides in hiring case officers from more diverse backgrounds and expanding the number of employees fluent in Arabic and other crucial languages.
Hayden indicated he has plans to write and speak, but said he would have welcomed a chance to stay at the CIA. "I certainly would have considered [staying] if asked," he said.
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greg.miller@latimes.com
